UNaoko, okukhulunywe ngaye esihlokweni okuvulwe ngaso, watjho naku ngokuhlula kwakhe ukubhema, “Ngakghona ukutjhentjha ukuphila kwami ngebanga lokufunda iqiniso ngeemfanelo zakaZimu nomnqophwakhe.” Akufundako kufumaneka eBhayibhelini. Ngitjho nanyana iBhayibheli lingakhulumi ngegwayi, lisisiza sizwisise indlela uZimu akuqala ngayo ukubhema. * Kwabanengi, ilwazelo libanikela isikhuthazo abasitlhogako bona bahlule umukghwa wokubhema. (2 Thimothi 3:16, 17) Akhe sikhulume ngeemphumela ejayelekileko eemthathu eyingozi yokubhema sibone nalokho iBhayibheli elikutjhoko ngayo.

Igwayi linesinye seendakamizwa eziluthako esaziwa khulu—i-nicotine. Yenza umuntu abe nomdlandla bese imgandelele godu. Ukubhema kusa i-nicotine ebuqhotjheni msinyana nangokubuyelelweko. Njengombana ukudosa kunye kudlulisa isilinganiso sinye se-nicotine, umuntu nekabhema ipaka yinye yegwayi kutjho bona sekadose pheze i-nicotine engaba ma-200 ngelanga, okusilinganiso esikhulu khulu ukudlula nanyana ngisiphi isidakamizwa ongasisebenzisa. Isilinganiso esingako senza i-nicotine ibe sidakamizwa esilutha khulu. Nesele alikghoba lokubhema, umuntu obhemako uba namatshwayo athileko lokha arhalela ukubhema i-nicotine.

IBhayibheli isisiza silungise umbonwethu ngendaba le nelithi: “Kghani anazi bona lokha nanizinikela kinanyana ngubani njengamakhoboka alalelako, niba makhoboka waloyo enimthobelako njalo?” (Roma 6:16) Ukucabanga komuntu nezenzo zakhe nekulawulwa kurhalela igwayi, msinyana uba sigqila somukghwa ophathisa iinhloni lo. Nokho, uZimu ibizo lakhe elinguJehova, ufuna sitjhaphuluke, ingasi emikghweni engalimaza imizimba yethu kwaphela kodwana nakuleyo engalimaza umoya wethu, okukutjhigamela kwethu kwengqondo okulawulako. (IRhubo 83:18; 2 Korinte 7:1) Ngalokho, njengombana umuntu akhula ekwaziseni nekuhlonipheni uJehova, uyalemuka bona uJehova ufanelwe ngokungcono khulu nokuthi ngeze akghona ukunikela uZimu okungcono nekasesesigqila somukghwa oyingozi lo. Ilemukwelo lisiza ukunikela umuntu amandla wokuhlula isifiso esilimazako.

U-Olaf, ohlala eGermany, owathoma ukubhema nekaneminyaka eli-12, walisa ukuba sigqila segwayi ngemva kweminyaka eli-16 abhema. Uthi, “Nengithoma ukubhema bekubonakala kuyinto encani engasiyingozi. Kodwana ngemva kweminyaka kwaba mraro omkhulu. Ngelinye ilanga ngaphelelwa ligwayi, ngagandeleleka khulu kangangobana ngabuthelela zoke iintompi zegwayi ebhorodweni lami lokuthinthela umlotha, ngakarabha loke igwayi ngarola isegerede ngephepha.  Nengikucabangako nje, ngiyabona bonyana bekuphathisa iinhloni kwamambala.” Wawulisa njani umukghwa wokubhema ophathisa iinhloni lo? Uthi, “Iqiniso eliqakathekileko bekusifiso sokuthabisa uJehova. Ithando uJehova analo ngabantu nethemba alinikelako kwanginikela amandla wokuwuhlula ngokupheleleko umukghwa lo.”

I-The Tobacco Atlas ithi, “Abososayensi bayavuma bona ukubhema igwayi kulimaza woke amalunga womzimba begodu kwandisa amathuba wokugula nokufa.” Yinto eyaziwa khulu bona ukubhema kubangela ubulwelwe obunjengekankere, ubulwelwe behliziyo nebamaphaphu. Ngokuya kwe-World Health Organization (WHO), ukubhema kungunobangela omkhulu wokubulalwa bulwelwe obuthathelanako obunjengobulwelwe besifuba.

NgeliZwi lakhe iBhayibheli, uJehova uZimu usifundisa bona sibe nombono ofaneleko ngepilwethu, imizimbethu namakghonwethu. INdodanakhe, uJesu, ikhulume ngalokho neyithi: “Thanda [uJehova] uZimakho ngehliziywakho yoke ngomphefumulwakho woke nangomkhumbulwakho woke.” (Matewu 22:37) Ngokukhanyako, uZimu ufuna sikusebenzise kuhle ukuphila kwethu nemizimba yethu siyiphathe ngehlonipho. Ukufunda ngoJehova neenthembiso zakhe, kusenza sikuthande begodu sikuthabele koke asenzele khona. Lokhu kusitjhukumisela bona sihlale sitjhaphulukile kunanyana yini engasilaphaza umzimba wethu.

Udorhodere uJayavanth, we-India, wabhema iminyaka ema-38. Wathi: “Ngafunda ngeengozi zokubhema eencwadini zokwelapha. Bengazi bona akukalungi, begodu bengiluleka iingulani zami bona zilise umukghwa lo. Kodwana mina bengihluleka, naphezu kokulinga iinkhathi ezihlanu namtjhana ezisithandathu.” Khuyini eyamsizako ekugcineni bona alise? Uthi: “Ngalisa ukubhema ngebanga lokufunda iBhayibheli. Isifiso sokuthabisa uJehova sangenza bona ngiwulise ngokupheleleko umukghwa lo.”

Ukurhogela intuthu yegwayi kuyingozi. Ukurhogela okunjalo kungabangela ikankere namanye amalwelwe, begodu qobe mnyaka kubulala abantu aba-600 000 abangabhemiko, kanengi abomma  nabentwana. Umbiko weWHO uyelelisa uthi: “Alikho izinga eliphephileko lokurhogela intuthu yegwayi.”

Ngokuya kwakaJesu, ithando ngomakhelwana—imindenethu, abangani, nabanye abasibhodileko—kumyalo wesibili olandela ukuthanda uZimu. Wathi, “Thanda umakhelwanakho njengombana uzithanda wena.” (Matewu 22:39) Nengabe siragela phambili senza umukghwa olimaza labo esitjhidelene nabo, asitjengisi ithando ngomakhelwana. Ithando lamambala lisitjhukumisela bona silandele isiyeleliso seBhayibheli: ‘Akungabikhona ozifunela yena okuhle, kodwana akafune nekwabanye.’—1 Korinte 10:24.

U-Armen, ohlala e-Armenia, uyakhumbula: “Umndenami wangirabhela bona ngingabhemi ngombana kuyabalimaza. Kodwana bengingafuni ukuvuma bona kungabalimaza.” Uhlathulula lokho okutjhugulule umbonwakhe: “Ilwazi lami ngeBhayibheli nethando ngoJehova kwangisiza bona ngilise ukubhema begodu ngivume bona bekuyingozi ingasi kimi kwaphela kodwana nakilabo abangibhodileko.”

Ilwazi leBhayibheli lasiza u-Olaf, uJayavanth, no-Armen bona balise umukghwa omumbi ogade ubalimaza ulimaza nabanye. Akhenge baphumelele ngombana bazi bona ukubhema kuyingozi kodwana baphumelela ngombana bathanda uJehova begodu banesifiso sokumthabisa. Indima eqakathekileko yethando igandelelwa la kweyo-1 Jwanisi 5:3, ethi: “Ukuthanda uZimu kukobana silonde imiyalwakhe, begodu imiyalwakhe ayisinzima.” Kwamambala, ukulandela iinkambisolawulo zeBhayibheli angeze kuhlale kulula, kodwana umuntu nekatjhukunyiswa lithando ngoZimu, ukulalela angeze kube mthwalo.

Ngejima lokufundisa lephasi mazombe, uJehova uZimu kwanje usiza iingidi zabantu bona zitjhaphuluke nofana zilise ukuba ziingqila zegwayi. (1 Thimothi 2:3, 4) Msinyana, ngomBuswakhe—urhulumende wezulwini ngaphasi kokubusa kweNdodanakhe, uJesu Krestu—uJehova ukuzokuqeda imibuso emarhamaru yezentengiselwano ebangela bona iingidi zabantu zibe ziingqila zegwayi. Uzokuqeda ngokupheleleko ukubhema okusabaleleko bese enze abantu abalalelako nabapheleleko emzimbeni nengqondweni.—Isaya 33:24; IsAmbulo 19:11, 15.

Nengabe ulwisana nokulisa ukubhema, ungalahli itewu. Ngokufunda ukuthanda uJehova ngokwamukela indlela akuqala ngayo ukubhema, nawe ungafumana isikhuthazo ositlhogako bona uphumelele. Abofakazi bakaJehova bazokuthabela ukukunikela isizo bona ufunde begodu usebenzise iinkambisolawulo zeBhayibheli. Qiniseka bona nengabe ufuna isizo lakaJehova bona ulise umukghwa wokubhema, uzokunikela amandla owatlhogako.—Filipi 4:13.